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Change!

Abu-Jamal moved into general prison

population for first time

by Frank KummerPhilly.com Staff

Mumia Abu-Jamal has been moved into the general prison population for the first time since going on death row for the killing of Officer Daniel Faulkner.

Susan McNaughton, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, said Abu-Jamal was moved yesterday from the restricted housing unit at the SCI Mahanoy facility in Frackville, Schuylkill County.

In the restricted housing unit, Abu-Jamal had largely been in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day.

Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 shooting death of Faulkner. His transfer into the general prison population comes after his original death sentence was overturned on appeal to the federal courts last year.

The federal appeals court ruled that the trial judge’s instructions to the jury were unfairly weighted toward execution.

That ruling in Philadelphia was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in October.

As a result, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said in December that he would not re-seek a new death penalty hearing, and instead agreed to a life term.

Abu-Jamal had been on death row at SCI Greene, in Waynesburg until he was transferred to SCI Mahony, a medium-security institution, shortly after Williams’ decision.

Judith L. Ritter, a law professor and director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Widener University, and who represented Abu-Jamal in recent appeals, said yesterday in a statement:

“This is a very important moment for him, his family and all of his supporters. We are all grateful for the roles played by so many in getting him off death row after so very long.”

Abu-Jamal supporters, through various websites and social networks, applauded his move into the general population, but still maintain he is innocent.

However, Faulkner’s widow, Maureen, and many others, steadfastly maintain that Abu-Jamal was her husband’s killer. She has denounced Abu-Jamal for “operating a cottage industry in prison.”

I just received a call from my beloved husband who is now out of Administrative Custody and in general population at SCI Mahanoy. He is relieved after being in these solitary torture chambers for over 30 years. He can’t wait to face and embrace me, his wife, and his children and grandchildren. The next moment is for him to be released from the belly of the beast. He is surprised at how many men are in these prison cells–black, white, hispanic. He said he’s been shown a lot of love, from the others in population. We need to bring Mumia, and all the other men, home!

Mumia said he wanted to see me as soon as possible, to come up tomorrow, Sunday, a visiting day. But the prison won’t let me visit until Monday.

Wadiya A Jamal, with BIG pride.

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Mumia’s Message to Supporters in call from General Population, SCI Mahanoy to his wife, Wadiya Jamal:

My dear friends, brothers and sisters — I want to thank you for your real hard work and support. I am no longer on death row, no longer in the hole, I’m in population. This is only part one and I thank you all for the work you’ve done. But the struggle is for freedom!

ONA MOVE, LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA!!! Mumia had his first contact visit in general population, yesterday Monday 1/30, with his wife, Wadiya. The next step is to bring him home but we should celebrate the victories and use these victories to motivate us to keep working, keep pushing and NEVER GIVE IN. We have done a great job—-LONG LIVE REVOLUTION—–Ramona